Tony DeCompo
Real Name: Angelo Anthony DeCompo Aliases: Tony DeCompo, Mike Parker, John Parker, Tony DeSoto, Tony DeAngelo, Frank Carrillo Wanted For: Abduction, Assault Missing Since: December 1993 Case Details: At a truck stop in rural Florida, a man named Tony DeCompo arrived a week before Christmas in 1993, claiming that he could neither hear nor speak. A woman named Valerie Earick felt sorry for him, especially after he was ridiculed by other truck drivers. He told her that a Gulf War combat injury caused him to lose his hearing and speech. He also said that he was stranded in Florida until his truck could be repaired. He often talked about his family and how he was growing fond of her. He proposed marriage, but Val refused; however, she did allow him to stay at her house until his truck was repaired. On Christmas Eve, Val's mother Mary Daniel came to visit. Tony wrote to her about his life and how his father was a Mafia kingpin, although the two didn't believe it. On December 26, Tony fell and hit his head. After that, he claimed that his hearing and speech had returned. The next day, Tony came back, claiming that the Mafia was after him. He, Mary, Val, and Val's two children then drove to Tampa in Mary's new Camaro. Tony's father supposedly lived there and he would be able to take the contract off of his life. However, when they arrived, his father was nowhere to be found. They soon went from motel to motel, reportedly to stay away from the Mafia. During this time, Mary took money from her account and gave it to Tony, who said he was using it to help keep them safe. By then, Mary's husband Rick became worried and headed to Tampa, following her strange credit card transactions. While at a mall, Mary's bank card was seized by the ATM machine. Tony claimed that the Mafia had found them. They left the mall in Mary's car. At that same time, Rick saw the car and began to follow them. When Tony asked if they were being followed, Val, not recognizing her stepfather's car, said that they were. Rick then made a split second decision to stop the car by shooting at the tires; this made Val and Mary truly believe that their lives were in danger. The shooting led Tony to change his plans; he released Mary and Val's kids, but took Val on a six state, 2000 mile journey of terror. Val was beaten severely by Tony, at one time causing her ear to bleed. Tony took Val to the hospital, but for fear of Tony, she did not tell the hospital what had happened. At that point, she became completely under Tony's control. However, when they checked into a hotel, she called home. She found that her mother and children were safe, and that Tony's Mafia story was a complete lie. Val was able to escape and get to the local police. When authorities went to question him, Tony DeCompo vanished. He faces one charge of assault and is believed to have victimized other people. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 1, 1996 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Results: ''' Captured. After the story aired, DeCompo was located; he was arrested for an unrelated crime and sent to prison. It is not known if he was convicted of the assault charge. Sadly, Valerie Earick passed away in 2013; she was fifty-one. '''Links: * Tony DeCompo on Unsolved Archive * She's Searching for Mr. Wrong * Leads At Last? * SitcomsOnline Discussion of Tony DeCompo * Valerie Earick Obituary ---- Category: Florida Category:1993 Category:Attempted Murder Category: Abduction Category:Captured Category:Mafia-Related Cases